Let Jamie play

Lawrence

THE decision made by Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president Captain Horace Burrell on Wednesday to rescind an invitation to Bradford City's midfielder Jamie Lawrence to represent the national football team has raised a number of issues.

Lawrence, a 30-year-old of Jamaican parentage, has long harboured the idea of representing the country of his parents and must have thought he realised this when he was invited to join the national team in preparation for a four-nation tournament in Morocco.

The midfielder's dream of parading his skills in the yellow, green and black jersey of Jamaica was shattered after his invitaion was withdrawn by the president as it emerged that Lawrence had served two prison sentences for robbery while he was a teenager.

Among the questions being raised relating to the dis-invitation of Lawrence was when this policy was formulated.

Was it after the Winston Anglin case when he returned from prison in the United States for smuggling drugs? If this is so why was it not made public?

If I remember correctly, in the case of Winston Anglin, then technical director Rene Simoes said he would leave the decision of inviting Anglin to the team, to the people of Jamaica. At no time during that period did anyone hear of a policy being in place.

Anglin, one of the island's most consistent midfielders of the 1980s and who was a part of Rene Simoes' squad when he first arrived, was given an 18-month sentence in the United States for drug smuggling. He returned to the island in mid-1996.

Additionally what I believe to be important at that time to the decision-making process regarding Anglin was the commonly-held view that he had passed his best and therefore would not fit in with the national programme.

The fact that Anglin would have required a United States visa to travel with the team also served as a demerit against him.

Even that hurdle it is believed could be cleared had Anglin been at his best as he could have been held in transit whenever the team travelled. Jamie Lawrence is a British citizen and would not need a United States visa to travel to that country so that would not be a problem for him.

The argument forwarded by the Captain that the team would come under unneccesary hassle because of Lawrence's criminal record would not necessarily hold water if he travels on a Jamaican passport as he has no criminal record in the country.

In saying that it does not matter what kind of life Lawrence has been leading since his convictions "he is still disqualified" is missing an excellent opportunity to show the youth of this country that a mistake or two does not mean that one will have to continue along that path. As it appeared in the New Nation article with Lawrence the footballer himself said he has been directly involved in guiding youngsters on the right path.

"I talk to them all the time and try to point them in the right direction," Lawrence was quoted speaking about the youngsters in Balham, South London where he grew up.

This discriminatory behaviour also goes against the policy under the past technical director, Rene Simoes.

Simoes brought his philosophy of "Jesus Saves" to the programme which was embraced by the JFF hierarchy. Implicit in saving a person is forgiveness, a virtue which the JFF seems to have departed from. Or just maybe with the parting of ways with the former technical director, the organisation has also split with his philosophy.

What message is the JFF sending? Is is that there can be no redemption?

This moral high ground taken by the JFF of condemning a man for crimes he has already paid for gives the impression that they themselves are without sin. As verse in the Bible said, "He that is without sin let him cast the first stone."

I am not in a position to throw even a pebble and I doubt whether the good Captain or any member of his staff could do so with clean hands and a clear conscience.

Another question which needs to be addressed is if a person within the Federation commits a crime and somehow is not convicted, is that person any less guilty than the unfortunate who is convicted?

Nodley Wright

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